NEW DELHI: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday questioned the Centre’s reported decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), arguing that the exercise would lead to unnecessary expenditure of government resources without delivering any clear benefit.Her remarks came a day after the Union cabinet approved a Bill to rename the scheme and increase the number of guaranteed workdays. According to these sources, MGNREGA will be renamed the ‘Poojya Bapu Grameen Rozgar Yojna’, with the annual work guarantee raised from 100 days to 125 days.Also read: Union Cabinet approves renaming MGNREGA as Pujya Bapu Gramin Rojgar YojnaSpeaking to reporters, Priyanka Gandhi said she could not understand the rationale behind changing the name of a flagship rural employment programme enacted in 2005. “I can’t understand what mentality is behind this. First, this is Mahatma Gandhi’s name, and when it is changed, the government’s resources are spent on it again. From offices to stationery, everything has to be renamed, so this is a big, costly process. So what’s the benefit of doing this unnecessarily? I can’t understand,” she said, as quoted by ANI.MGNREGA, also known as NREGA, is one of India’s largest social welfare schemes, aimed at enhancing livelihood security in rural areas. It guarantees at least 100 days of wage employment each financial year to rural households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work. Any Indian citizen aged 18 or above and residing in a rural area can apply, with employment to be provided within 15 days. Wages are deposited directly into bank or post office accounts, with equal pay for men and women, and the scheme covers the entire country except fully urban districts.The proposed renaming has also drawn criticism from other opposition leaders. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi described the move as a “distraction” and accused the Centre of trying to divert public attention. “Because of the frustration, such decisions are being made. This is another way to distract attention,” she said, adding that those who know history “will always respect the Gandhi family for their contributions”.Chaturvedi also welcomed Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s call for a parliamentary discussion on air pollution, arguing that urgent issues affecting public health were being sidelined. Rahul Gandhi earlier urged all parties to work together to address what he described as a crisis destroying children’s futures, saying, “Most of our major cities are living under a blanket of poisonous air… This is not an ideological issue.”
